A low-calorie food that adds protein, fiber and mega amounts of vitamin A to your diet, pumpkin lends itself to an endless variety of dishes.

If you want to make pumpkin purée from scratch, remove seeds, cut into large chunks, rub with oil and roast at 400 degrees for 45 minutes. Or, cut into wedges and microwave on high for five minutes or until easily pierced with a fork. Take off skin and purée cooked pumpkin by pulsing it in a food processor or mashing it with a potato masher. One pound of fresh pumpkin will yield about 1 cup of purée.

3 Whisk milk, pumpkin, butter, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl until evenly combined. Add flour mixture and pecans and stir until just mixed and moistened (batter will be lumpy), about 30 strokes. Set batter aside to rest while pan or griddle heats.

4 Heat a large, seasoned cast-iron skillet, nonstick frying pan or griddle over medium heat. Test to see if pan is hot enough by sprinkling a couple of drops of cold water in it: If water bounces and sputters, pan is ready; if it evaporates instantly, it's too hot.

5 Once pan is ready, add 1 teaspoon of oil and tilt the pan to coat. Ladle batter into pan in 1/3-cup portions. Cook until golden brown on bottom, about 3 to 5 minutes. Using a flat spatula, flip pancakes and cook until second side is golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes more. Remove to the baking sheet in oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining batter, adding 1 teaspoon oil to pan between batches. Serve immediately with butter and maple syrup.

Chow.com

THE CHUGGING PUMPKIN SOUP

(Tested by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Makes 6 servings

Feel free to leave out the rum, if you'll be serving it to kids. To toast pumpkin seeds, toss with a little oil, add salt and bake in a 250-degree oven for about an hour, checking and stirring every 15 minutes.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

1/2 cup finely chopped shallots

5 cups vegetable stock

2 cans pumpkin purée

1 medium russet potato, peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch chunks

1 large carrot, peeled and sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces

1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons molasses

- Finely minced zest of 1 orange

2 teaspoons curry powder

1 cup milk or half-and-half

1/2 cup dark rum

- Dash of Tabasco sauce

- Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

- Toasted pumpkin seeds for garnish

1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

Directions

1 In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, warm olive oil with sesame oil. Add shallots and saute them, stirring occasionally, until they're translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add stock, pumpkin, potato and carrot, raise the heat to high, and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes.

2 Using an immersion blender, purée soup until very smooth, or (carefully!) purée in batches in a blender with a towel placed over the lid. Stir in brown sugar, molasses, orange zest and curry. Over low heat, stir in milk, rum and Tabasco. Taste carefully. Season with salt and pepper and add nutmeg.

3 Serve in warm bowls and pass with toasted pumpkin seeds and cheese for sprinkling.

Adapted from "The Tipsy Vegan" by John Schlimm (Da Capo, 2012)

PUMPKIN DIP

Makes about 2 cups

Serve this kid-friendly recipe with crackers, celery or carrot sticks, or slather it on a toasted bagel.